This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (June 2024) |
![]() The Great Buddha (Amida) (Daibutsu) at Kōtoku-in, Kamakura, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (National Treasure) | |
Total population | |
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Estimates vary, from c. 71 million or 67% (Government est., 2022)[1] to under 20% (JGSS Research Center, 2017).[2] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Throughout Japan | |
Religions | |
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Languages | |
Japanese and other languages |
Part of a series on |
Buddhism in Japan |
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Part of a series on |
Buddhism |
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Buddhism was first established in Japan in the 6th century CE.[3][4][5] Most of the Japanese Buddhists belong to new schools of Buddhism which were established in the Kamakura period (1185-1333).[6] During the Edo (Tokugawa)-period (1603–1868), Buddhism was controlled by the feudal Shogunate. The Meiji period (1868–1912) saw a strong response against Buddhism, with persecution and a forced separation between Buddhism and Shinto (Shinbutsu bunri).
As of 2022, around 70.8 million people, or about 67% of Japan's total population, identify as Buddhist. Japan has the second largest Buddhist population in the world, after China. The largest sects of Japanese Buddhism are Pure Land Buddhism with 22 million believers, followed by Nichiren Buddhism with 10 million believers, Shingon Buddhism with 5.4 million, Zen Buddhism with 5.3 million, Tendai Buddhism with 2.8 million, and only about 700,000 for the six old schools established in the Nara period (710-794).[6]